General Discussions - Recent Threadshttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395Ask a question or start a discussion on general railroad industry topics.en-USCommunity Server 9A new take on the summer road triphttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23196?ContentTypeID=0Fri, 09 Sep 2016 16:49:40 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:533a30ec-51ba-41c0-876c-a63f40b2fa74Daniel Niepow3http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23196?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23196/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>For many folks, summer is the season of travel. That was the case for 20-year-old Elena Studier, who embarked on a cross-country trip in mid-May. However, unlike many folks, Studier completed the entire trek using Amtrak and a bike.</p>
<p>It&#39;s clear she had a pretty fun time doing so, <a href="http://www.summerbyrail.com/">based on her blog entries documenting the trip</a>. But the journey wasn&#39;t just about leisure; Studier went on the trip as part of her summer internship with the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP). The goal? </p>
<p>&quot;The objective was to show that you could leave one end of the country by rail and hit dozens of dozens of really cool places without driving,&quot; says NARP Chief Executive Officer Jim Mathews.</p>
<p>In addition, the association wanted to showcase the relationships communities have with public transportation. So, Studier relied on transit to navigate the 20 cities she stopped in. She also met with local elected officials to talk passenger rail and transit.</p>
<p>Late last month, I chatted with Studier and Mathews about the trip. Check out <a href="http://www.progressiverailroading.com/passenger_rail/article/NARP-intern-completes-cross-country-Amtrak-trip-to-promote-passenger-rail-public-transit--49353">my recent feature</a> to learn more about her journey.</p>
<p>What do you make of her adventure? Have you or any of your friends or family members tried something similar? Does her trip shine a positive light on passenger rail? Why or why not? I&#39;d be curious to hear your thoughts.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.progressiverailroading.com/resources/editorial/2016/g49353-Elena-Studier-NARP.jpg"><img src="http://www.progressiverailroading.com/resources/editorial/2016/g49353-Elena-Studier-NARP.jpg" alt=" " /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>The Porta Equationhttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23180?ContentTypeID=0Tue, 19 Jul 2016 17:54:26 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:fbd9ca3a-518f-4e9e-a09e-bcf5c13b6a2eCassano0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23180?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23180/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>The RN N&ordm; 14 is probably one of the most congested highways in the American continent.</p>
<p>This is used for road traffic between Brazil and Argentina, but also there is a lot of trucks traffic between Brazil and Chile.</p>
<p>A pair of years ago the route was widened from 1x1 to 2x2 lanes.</p>
<p>In only a pair of years trucks traffic grew up so enough to put the route into a saturation point.</p>
<p>Prof. Eng. Enrique Arqu&iacute;medes Porta said usually that the automotive park growth rate is always faster than the square meters infraestructure you can build. &nbsp; Under this situation the traditional &laquo;infraestructure linear growth&raquo; strategy is not a solution, because you always stays running after the ball, and consequently you never will solve the problem.</p>
<p>With a deficitary linear growth the best solution is the exponencial growth.</p>
<p>Prof. Porta said that a double railway track line has the same traffic capacity of 28 highway lanes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>A truck transit produces a road surface damage equivalent to 15.000 automobiles transit.</p>
<p>The intense truck traffic over the RN N&ordm; 14 is producing a fast damage on this new road surface, increasing considerably Goverment Fiscal deficit.</p>
<p>Also truck traffic is affecting seriously the intense tourism activity, and to avoid legal problems and negative touristic impacts Goverment is starting with trucks traffic bans during long weekends.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>
<p>Parale to the route exists a standard gauge railway line. &nbsp; But it was abandonded five years ago. &nbsp; Piggyback here could be a good business.</p>
<p>But the exponencial solution is not understood.</p>
<p>In the meantime we continue to lose money... and lives.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>Reimagining transportation spending: An economic opportunity we cannot ignorehttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23142?ContentTypeID=0Tue, 01 Mar 2016 18:49:58 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:626fe220-991d-4771-a2b2-53ec6ef906c2Alaa Milbes0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23142?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23142/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Renee Brand builds buses for a living and is a leader in a field dominated by men. A bus painter, she is the vice president of Communications Workers of America Local 7304.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">In a recent</span><a href="http://jobstomoveamerica.org/hi-im-renee-and-i-build-great-buses/"> <span style="font-weight:400;">blog post</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;">, Renee said that she is &ldquo;living proof that manufacturing is indeed alive.&rdquo; The problem, she continued, &ldquo;is that it&rsquo;s difficult for workers like us to compete in an economy where competition is based not on quality, innovation or efficiency, but on a terrible race to the bottom.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Renee is part of the Jobs to Move America (JMA) coalition, a newly launched national organization that is working to change this. With its national headquarters in Los Angeles, the organization has an ambitious goal rooted in creating economic opportunity in transportation. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">JMA National Organizing Director Rudy Gonzalves said, &quot;</span><span style="font-weight:400;">We want to transform the process of public procurement of buses and railcars so that we&rsquo;re doing everything we can to invest in our communities. This is a globalized industry with supply chains all over the world. We want to harness our spending power so that global companies have an incentive to invest in U.S. workers and U.S.-based factories.&quot;</span></p>
<p>Founded in 2013 as a project of the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, JMA wants to ensure that public spending on transportation results in the creation of manufacturing jobs for U.S. workers, including those historically excluded from the manufacturing industry. More importantly, JMA is developing an innovative model for a national and global strategy that involves its coalition partners &ndash; community, labor, business, faith, civil rights, philanthropic, academic and environmental groups.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Last month, President Obama proposed</span><a href="http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/12168386/us-obama-proposes-320b-for-clean-transportation?utm_source=MASS+NewsViews+Newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=MASS160204002"> <span style="font-weight:400;">$320 billion</span></a> <span style="font-weight:400;">for &ldquo;clean transportation.&rdquo; A month before that, he signed a</span><a href="https://www.transportation.gov/fastlane/fast-act-jobs-to-move-america"> <span style="font-weight:400;">$305 billion</span></a> <span style="font-weight:400;">FAST Act to improve the nation&rsquo;s public transportation system. In California, a high-speed rail project is estimated at</span><a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0128-bullet-hearing-20160128-story.html"> <span style="font-weight:400;">$60-69 billion</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;">. A few years ago, Amtrak proposed a</span><a href="http://articles.philly.com/2012-07-10/news/32602302_1_amtrak-president-joseph-boardman-acela-express-northeast-corridor"> <span style="font-weight:400;">$151 billion</span></a> <span style="font-weight:400;">plan for a high-speed train in the Northeast. These are just a few examples of the massive transportation projects funded by taxpayer money.</span></p>
<p>Now is the time to ensure this public taxpayer money is producing better results for our communities and training the next generation of manufacturing workers. It is the perfect opportunity to ensure our &ldquo;transit dollars go the distance.&rdquo;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">JMA has developed a number of steps to reach its goal. Erika Thi Patterson, senior policy coordinator for JMA said, &quot;</span><span style="font-weight:400;">With a team of lawyers, researchers, and coalition partners, JMA &nbsp;developed the U.S. Employment Plan (USEP), a tool box of policy resources transit agencies to include as part of their Request for Proposals (RFP) to encourage bus and rail manufacturers can create good U.S. jobs in our communities that need it most.&quot;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"> For the last three years, JMA has been working closely with transit agencies to tailor fit the USEP to meet their specific job creation goals. To</span> <span style="font-weight:400;">date, the USEP has already been adopted by three leading transportation agencies, including Los Angeles Metro, Chicago Transit Authority, and Amtrak.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Once the </span><a href="http://jobstomoveamerica.org/resources/u-s-employment-plan-resources-2/"><span style="font-weight:400;">USEP</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;"> has been included as part of a transit agency&rsquo;s RFP, companies can disclose job creation information such as the number and quality of U.S. jobs the manufacturer intends to create, new training and apprenticeship opportunities, and how company will create pathways for people who have historically been left out of the industry. Once the contract is awarded, the commitments become part of the executed contract between the transit agency and the company, allowing &nbsp;the transit agency and JMA to hold the company accountable to its commitments. &nbsp; &nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Last month, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx sent a</span><a href="http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/S10-160211-003_F.pdf"><span style="font-weight:400;"> letter </span></a><span style="font-weight:400;">to transportation stakeholders that recognized the USEP as an innovative approach to using public transportation funds to create good jobs in the United States. &nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Rene&rsquo;s company, New Flyer is an example of a JMA success story. In 2013, the Canadian-based company won a</span><a href="http://jobstomoveamerica.org/bid-new-buses-l-demands-american-made/"> <span style="font-weight:400;">$305 million deal</span></a> <span style="font-weight:400;">to build buses for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro). As part of the deal, New Flyer committed to making buses in the U.S. and to creating quality jobs for U.S. workers.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">The JMA team is now working on multiple projects in California, Illinois, New York and monitoring the industry for upcoming opportunities to maximize our public transportation dollars.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Now is the time. Moving forward, JMA and its partners will continue working to ensure public agencies are held accountable to U.S. taxpayers.</span></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>A hopeful sign. Regional considerations in 2017 proposed Fed transportation budget.http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23136?ContentTypeID=0Thu, 25 Feb 2016 04:14:58 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:8d50c522-9ea8-4c7d-be2d-b56d3918acacanmccaff0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23136?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23136/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>No, that budget isn&#39;t actually going anywhere, of course, but buried in it is, finally, a hint of something the US hasn&#39;t seen since Eisenhower was in the White House: a glimmer of actual policy.&nbsp; &quot;The 21st Century Regions Grant Program is the most important proposal you may not have heard about, and it finally represents a commitment to metropolitan areas consistent with their <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports2/2016/01/metro-monitor" target="_blank">economic importance,</a>&quot; writes Brooking&#39;s Adie Tomer.</p>
<p>Worth a look:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/the-avenue/posts/2016/02/22-2017-transportation-budget-tomer">http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/the-avenue/posts/2016/02/22-2017-transportation-budget-tomer</a></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>Near future transportation: Do we follow a lineal evolution?http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23133?ContentTypeID=0Sat, 20 Feb 2016 16:44:08 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:cd0b9ea3-fa98-4c8c-bdc2-abab7fb78de0Cassano3http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23133?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23133/rss?ContentTypeId=0<pre class="tw-data-text vk_txt tw-ta tw-text-small" dir="ltr"><span lang="en" style="font-size:150%;font-family:&#39;comic sans ms&#39;, &#39;comic sans&#39;, sans-serif;">There are two types of evolution. &quot;Linear&quot; and &quot;sauteed&quot;.<br /><br /></span></pre>
<pre class="tw-data-text vk_txt tw-ta tw-text-small" dir="ltr"><span lang="en" style="font-size:150%;font-family:&#39;comic sans ms&#39;, &#39;comic sans&#39;, sans-serif;">Linear evolution is more predictable because it follows a line , whose steps are simply 1, 2 , 3 and so on.<br /><br /></span></pre>
<pre class="tw-data-text vk_txt tw-ta tw-text-small" dir="ltr"><span lang="en" style="font-size:150%;font-family:&#39;comic sans ms&#39;, &#39;comic sans&#39;, sans-serif;">In the case of sauteed evolution line is interrupted by factors , both positive and negative , to produce a disruptive evolution. But also they can produce &quot;involution&quot;. Under these circunstances a market or industry prediction becomes more difficult.<br /><br />WWII created a linear disruption in both, positive and negative, because the war negatively affected many transport systems, but also helped develop and to perfect new technologies such as diesel engines and commercial jets, changimg completely the face of transportation.<br /><br />Desde entonces y hasta hoy la evoluci&oacute;n fu&eacute; muy lineal, y por cierto bastante estancada<br /><br />Today there &quot;5&quot; strong concurrent factors, which combined can produce a new leap .<br /><br />A new evolutionary leap would impact strongly on both the economy and the activity of the transport sector.<br /><br /></span></pre>
<pre id="tw-target-text" class="tw-data-text vk_txt tw-ta tw-text-small" dir="ltr"><span lang="en" style="font-size:150%;font-family:&#39;comic sans ms&#39;, &#39;comic sans&#39;, sans-serif;">The next jump is clearly visible. The question now is when and how it will affect us</span></pre>
<pre id="tw-target-text" class="tw-data-text vk_txt tw-ta tw-text-small" dir="ltr"><span lang="en">&nbsp;</span></pre>
<pre id="tw-target-text" class="tw-data-text vk_txt tw-ta tw-text-small" dir="ltr"><span lang="en">&nbsp;</span></pre>
<pre id="tw-target-text" class="tw-data-text vk_txt tw-ta tw-text-small" dir="ltr"><span lang="en">&nbsp;</span></pre><div style="clear:both;"></div>Here's another reason why we can't get high speed passenger railhttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23129?ContentTypeID=0Tue, 16 Feb 2016 18:39:33 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:7d211cea-72a5-436f-9119-6783ae828338anmccaff3http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23129?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23129/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bullet-train-ballot-20160215-story.html">http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bullet-train-ballot-20160215-story.html</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Worth reading, but a short summary: agricultural interests, and a few others, want to divert rail bond money to water improvement.&nbsp; Vote for one thing, pay for another.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>INVERSE PROFIT = INDIRECT PROBLEMhttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23119?ContentTypeID=0Fri, 15 Jan 2016 19:06:03 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:f1b01021-b6d9-40e7-97b4-22c92ebe56b0Cassano0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23119?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23119/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p style="margin-left:30px;"><strong><em>Inverse profit</em></strong>, notated as 1/p, is technically a profit sustained by a fiscal deficit.</p>
<p style="margin-left:30px;">This economical system surged as a way to compensate private economical looses by using tax funds following a philosphy based on the <span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>&laquo; capitalize profit&nbsp; and socialize looses&raquo; </em></span>concept.&nbsp;&nbsp; In otherwords companies which are &quot;capitalists&quot; when having profit, and &quot;socialists&quot; when they are loosing money.</p>
<p style="margin-left:30px;">In &quot;<em>castellano&quot; </em>there exist a word, with no translation.&nbsp;&nbsp; the word&nbsp; <span style="color:#00ccff;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><span style="color:#00ccff;">&laquo;</span>berreta</span>&raquo;</span>, defined a bad quality element, but also can be used to define something with a precary infraestructure.</p>
<p style="margin-left:30px;">This is exactly the case of many transportation companies based on the <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">1/p</span></strong> financial system.</p>
<p style="margin-left:30px;">Inverse profit warrantize you profit in short term, but...</p>
<p style="margin-left:30px;">But here is the problem, because on long term this financial architecture is not sustaniable, pushing the company to a bankrupcy, being this bankrupcy the minor problem.</p>
<p style="margin-left:30px;">Legal demands and their consequences are the major problem of this money&nbsp; making philosophy.</p>
<p style="margin-left:30px;">ALL railroad was a good example of <strong>1/p.</strong></p>
<p style="margin-left:30px;">ste e</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>Frank Richter... in memorianhttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23108?ContentTypeID=0Mon, 30 Nov 2015 17:18:51 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:4bf14c3b-7a39-442f-a29b-ec5644628161Cassano2http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23108?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23108/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>We all know Frank Richter.&nbsp;</p>
<p>When retired, he had the opportunity to stay in USA, following a very comfortable life, surrounded by colleagues, and well recognized.</p>
<p>But... no.</p>
<p>He selected to came to Argentina, well know to be one of the world&#39;s most anti railroad countries, to fight for the railway resurrection.&nbsp;&nbsp; He knew very well that he had little chance of emerging victorious in battle as quixotic. But he did not care, and yet decided to attempt the impossible... this was to convince a road transport interested nation to evolute to a railway transportation system. </p>
<p>Heath failed him, and consequently he died at Buenos Aires, accompained by his loyal wife, Teresita.</p>
<p>This failure was for us his most important work, because he gave his life to showed us the importance of the railway as an engine of the economy.</p>
<p>The first tourist railways protocol was made in tribute to him, and the first tourist attractive categorization table was named &quot;The Frank Richter&#39;s Table&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp; According this table, attractives are categorized from 0 to 7.&nbsp;&nbsp; Last week&nbsp; the Richter TT-RA protocol was made public in a chair master&#39;s tourism at the Buenos Aires University, and was students main interest. </p><div style="clear:both;"></div>Traffic market: Confusing passengers with touristshttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23106?ContentTypeID=0Fri, 20 Nov 2015 14:14:16 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:44ca4fb2-abc9-4b90-8058-eba3a30cd031Cassano0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23106?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23106/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>(At first, english is not my native language, so I want to apologize grammar mistakes.&nbsp; I am doing my besto effort to learn more).</p>
<p></p>
<p>Believe or not, today, starting the XXIth Century, many transportation companies have not in clear the basic difference between <em>&laquo;passengers&raquo;</em> and <em>&laquo;tourists&raquo;, </em>although this difference was well understood by british railway companies on the early XIXth Century.</p>
<p>The World Tourism Organization considerates the passenger as a tourist, because business convenience, but on reality both traffics have big differences.</p>
<p>A &laquo;passenger&raquo; is that person whose main interest is to go to a &laquo;X&raquo; destiny, being the destiny or activity the main travel purpose.&nbsp;&nbsp; For him transport is necessary, but secondary.</p>
<p>A &laquo;tourist&raquo; is who want to enjoy an experience, being for him the transport &laquo;part of that experience&raquo;, or eventually the travel itself main purpose.</p>
<p>Passengers and tourists have different travel motivations, and by that reason they have different exigences.&nbsp;&nbsp; In consequence, both traffic types have different rolling stock requirements.</p>
<p>To simplify, passenger rolling stock is not usefull for tourist traffic, and opposite. &nbsp; </p>
<p>I have seen railway operations made with the wrong rolling stock, and in one case I saw a railroad going to bankrupcy because this basic confusion.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>Vintage Tourist Coaches Categorizationhttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23098?ContentTypeID=0Wed, 04 Nov 2015 20:44:42 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:0e100c95-c6ff-4ebc-849a-b4b97132aaedCassano0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23098?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23098/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>Somethimes a wrong tourist coaches categorizations can generate legal demands.</p>
<p>This problem normally doesn&#39;t exist on passenger services, where liner coaches are generally standarized.&nbsp; Or if are not standarized they have usually interior layout standarized.</p>
<p>But... What about those tourist trains using &laquo;historic&raquo; liner coaches?</p>
<p>It is clear that a new 1st Class coach will not have the same comfort level as a 1950 vintage 1st Class.&nbsp;&nbsp; this difference is what it is important to put in clear to the tourist.</p>
<p>The Patagonian is a good example of this.&nbsp;&nbsp; This railway has two different 1st Class types in service, and a third to be added.&nbsp;&nbsp; The &laquo;liner&raquo; passenger service at the &laquo;Patag&oacute;nico&raquo; is using 1972 Budd 1st Compartmented Class coaches, and the touristic &laquo;La Trochita&raquo; 1922 Famillereux wooden salon coaches.</p>
<p>Of course, there is a very big difference between both 1st classes.</p>
<p>Now... How to make the tourist understand they are different types of a same class?</p>
<p>Very easy.&nbsp;&nbsp; The TT-RA Protocol indicates how to do it.</p>
<p>Coaches with more than 20 years and maintaining original layouts must be considered as &laquo;classic&raquo; or vintage coachs, and identifed with the letter &laquo;H&raquo;.</p>
<p>Compartmented coaches have to be identified as &laquo;D&raquo;.</p>
<p>So:</p>
<ul>
<li>1972 Budd 1st Compartmented Class = 1&ordm;D H&#39;72.</li>
<li>1922 Famillereux wooden 1st = 1&ordm; H&#39;22w</li>
</ul>
<p>Good quality information is the starting of a good quality service. </p><div style="clear:both;"></div>Accidents Architecture The C'→C' theoryhttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23097?ContentTypeID=0Wed, 04 Nov 2015 16:47:24 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:6f151e4f-e668-4a02-b457-2684b2c1df08Cassano0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23097?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23097/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>This could be interesting for railway lawyers.</p>
<p>Basically we have two types of accidents.</p>
<ul>
<li>SIMPLE CAUSE:&nbsp;&nbsp; Or &laquo;SC&raquo;, when the accident is produced by a unique cause &laquo;Z&raquo;.</li>
<li>COMBINED CAUSE:&nbsp;&nbsp; Or &laquo;C&#39;&rarr;C&#39;&raquo;, where the accident itself is a consequence of a combined system of causes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Under this circunstances you have 3 possible architectures:
<ul>
<li>SERIAL CAUSE:&nbsp;&nbsp; It is the classical domin&oacute;, where factor N&ordm; 1 activates factor N&ordm; 2, and this the N&ordm; 3, producing, as final result, an accident &laquo;X&raquo;.&nbsp;&nbsp; N&ordm; 1 is the causal cause, what it means the starting element which starts the domin&oacute;.&nbsp;&nbsp; N&ordm; 2 is an intermediate element on that domin&oacute; chain.&nbsp;&nbsp; N&ordm; 3 is the consequent cause, what it means the &laquo;direct&raquo; accident starter.&nbsp;&nbsp; N&ordm; 3 generates the accident, but cannot do it so without N&ordm; 1 activation.&nbsp;&nbsp; A typical 3 elements accident chain can be notated as &laquo;A+B+C=X&raquo;.</li>
<li>PARALEL CAUSE:&nbsp;&nbsp; In this case accident is produced by a simultaneous factor combination where these factors have no relation between.&nbsp;&nbsp; Under paralel cause factors must be identified with letters separated by a double bar.&nbsp;&nbsp; So a 3 elements cause can be written as &laquo;(A//B//C)=X&raquo;</li>
<li>MIXED CAUSE:&nbsp;&nbsp; Is the combination of both preceding causes. &nbsp; The Valhalla crash could be an example, and probably notated as (A//B)+2+3=X&nbsp; </li>
</ul>
<p style="padding:0;margin:0;"></p>
</li>
</ul><div style="clear:both;"></div>AMTRAK... WHY?http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23096?ContentTypeID=0Fri, 30 Oct 2015 15:06:57 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:e6c7de64-9621-4ea4-9b59-00faef22f8adCassano8http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23096?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23096/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>Beggining the &#39;70&#39;s, my antecessor, Prof. Eng. Enrique Arqu&iacute;medes Porta started a investigation to understand better railway deficit.</p>
<p>He used the nonsense method, asking itself What would be of the economy if tomorrow we close all railways.&nbsp;&nbsp; Sound this similar to Nobel Economy Pride Robert Vogel work?&nbsp;&nbsp; Well... </p>
<p>On those times, passengers trains were in a economical collapse situation.&nbsp; Germany were considering the possibility to replace the railways by an Autobahn net. &nbsp; But... but... but, using Porta&#39;s calculation method they discovered if doing that fiscal deficit will shot up 9 times. &nbsp; So they decided to maintain railways, and to put focus on the ICE project.</p>
<p>In USA... we know. &nbsp; Private passengers train went to bankrupcy, and &quot;state&quot; Amtrak born.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>So... A socialist style company in the heart of a capitalist system.?&nbsp;&nbsp; Why?</p>
<p>Simple.&nbsp;&nbsp; Having Amtrak is costly.&nbsp;&nbsp; But not having it is... more costly. &nbsp; This was Prof. Eng. Porta conclusion </p>
<p>If tomorrow we close Amtrak, the result will be a big damage on the US economy. &nbsp; How do I know this? &nbsp; Easy. &nbsp; In the &#39;90&#39;s we closed railways, and we replaced all traffic by trucks and buses. &nbsp; Now we are paying that, and believe me... is not a good business.</p>
<p>So... Amtrak... Why?</p>
<p>Because &laquo;Public Benefit&raquo;</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>The new blogging format has killed participationhttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23012?ContentTypeID=0Fri, 27 Feb 2015 13:47:19 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:82d45306-5253-47b1-a71f-4f37b79b3a01Blaine Peterson10http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23012?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23012/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>I suggested this same thing several years ago when the new format first took hold.&nbsp; And I will repeat it here.&nbsp; The new format has literally killed participation!&nbsp; I found the interface cumbersome to use at first but everntually came around and found a way to make it work.&nbsp; I participated by commenting on several of the new forum posts but did not find any others participating.&nbsp; I thought perhaps I would give participants a couple of years to find a way to navigate the new format&nbsp; and returned today to see if many had returned.&nbsp; Still almost no participation.</p>
<p>But the impact of the blogging format change is very telling about the industry in general.&nbsp; The industry does not like change.&nbsp; It may very well be that the new format is easier to use or navigate but the industry does not like change! I have been in the industry 30 years.&nbsp; I&#39;ll be the first to admit that I did not like the change of the blogging format.&nbsp; But, perhaps unlike many of my peers in the industry, I recognize the need for the industry to go beyond accepting change.&nbsp; Our industry needs to seek and embrace change.&nbsp;</p>
<p>I&#39;m not expecting any rebuttals or replies to this posting.&nbsp;Except, perhaps, from the hosts.</p>
<p><a href="http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23012/reply.aspx?tsid=e5948b69-bbdd-4bc3-b3ce-7f4f26835573">Reply to post &raquo;</a></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>Elephant in the Room?http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23011?ContentTypeID=0Fri, 20 Feb 2015 16:10:44 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:d6f9e0be-fca8-48d8-bd47-bf1ba4037c56mklass0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/23011?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23011/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>Wow, 4 days into it, and not one post or industry rag news article about the CSX oil trian derailment in WV. Everybody keeping their head down?</p>
<p><a href="http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/23011/reply.aspx?tsid=096b3eef-adb0-4ae9-a51c-b398f9757662">&raquo; Reply to post</a></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>Media hysteria and Crude By Rail - if it bleeds it leads...http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22931?ContentTypeID=0Fri, 13 Jun 2014 18:01:44 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:c44e0e29-e4db-42c6-b343-f6a365b713b4brucecmann2http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22931?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/22931/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>&nbsp; There is probably no statement in news journalism that is more of a truism than &quot;if it bleeds, it leads.&quot; Sensational journalism has always had its place, going back to the foundations of printed or reported journalism. It is no coincidence that CNN branded itself as &quot;Headline News,&quot; CNN and the entire 24 hour news cycle are seemingly dedicated to the idea of this truism. Have you ever heard of a breaking news report of a good story?</p>
<p>&nbsp; This truth of this type of journalism feeds into our fears, it is intended to elicit an emotional response that makes you watch the story; it is truly fear based news. It has its roots in the flight or fight response inherent in our human nature. The reason that this type of reporting works is that it creates a physiological response in reaction to what our brain perceives as a harmful event or threat to survival&sup1;. Almost every breaking news story has a few elements; there is some immediate danger, the end of the story (for the &ldquo;best stories&rdquo;) is yet to be determined and there are very few facts presented, most of the reporting is an emotional appeal meant to elicit an emotional response. This leads us to the media and its handling of the phenomenon known as Crude by Rail and rail safety.</p>
<p>&nbsp; Let me start by saying that the train derailment that occurred on the morning of July 6, 2013, in Lac-Megantic, Quebec was a horrific accident and that the loss of 47 lives and property associated with the event were tragic and that my heartfelt condolences and compassion go out to everyone involved.</p>
<p>&nbsp; Unfortunately when we transport good or passengers accidents happen, we have to learn from them and improve. One need not look further than Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 (239 crew/passengers), Air France Flight 447 (228 crew/passenger), the sinking of MV Sewol (295 crew/passengers), the Titanic (1,514 crew/passengers), or even the cruise line industry where there were 8 virus outbreaks in 3 months at the start of 2014. Every industry gets better after these incidents and US rail will be no exception, US rail is already safer today than July 6, and will be safer tomorrow than it is today.</p>
<p>&nbsp; Today we find ourselves in a period of hypersensitivity on trains moving crude by rail and the rail industry. I have a great deal of pride in this industry, it is something I have been involved in for the last 15 years, starting out making $15,000.00 a year at the very bottom of the industry. As my own career path has grown I have watched this industry grow as well. I have watched this industry become more inclusive of women and minorities, I have watched it continue to reach out and intentionally hire veterans like myself, and have watched it experience a renaissance like few industries in our history. As well, I have seen the rail industry become a very safe industry.</p>
<p>&nbsp; Railroads are investing in their networks, technology and people like never before. This investment has paid huge dividends, 2012 was the safest year ever for America&rsquo;s railroads, and likely 2013 was as well. From 1980 to 2012 train accidents fell 80%, the rail employee injury rate fell 85% and the grade crossing collision rate fell 82%&sup2;. This industry reinvested $25.2 billion in 2013 and $525 billion since 1980&sup2; and 2014 reinvestment likely will be the largest on record. As part of this investment railroads are collectively spending billions of dollars on Positive Train Control, a technological tool that is designed to stop or slow trains to prevent some types of accidents. This is in addition to the billions that they are spending on their infrastructure, equipment, training and people.</p>
<p>&nbsp; As well, the US is home to the world&rsquo;s largest rail research facility, the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), in Pueblo, Colorado, a subsidiary of the American Association of Railroads (AAR). While you have probably never heard of TTCI, our nation is safer because of the technological developments that have occurred at this facility and they continue to do great work making the railroads safer every day. Some current projects at TTCI include: detecting broken rail and wheel defects with fiber-optic technology, examining the effectiveness of larger footprint ties, continued testing of hot bearing detectors and countless other projects, for more information you can visit their website at <a href="http://www.aar.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.aar.com</a> &sup3;.</p>
<p>&nbsp; There is the also the AAR Tank Car Committee who works diligently to develop technical standards on how tank cars are designed and constructed. Specific to crude and ethanol, the Committee&rsquo;s standards today exceed and have exceeded federal regulatory requirements. Tank cars for crude oil and ethanol ordered after October 2011 are built to a standard that exceeds federal requirements; the industry did this in the absence of federal action, and continues to work on projects to make tank cars safer. The projects they are working on include improvements to safety relief valves, bottom outlet valve operators, constant contact side bearings and a whole host of other issues.</p>
<p>&nbsp; Wondering just how much crude is moving by rail, the way the media is reporting it, there is an incident with every train that moves&hellip; In the US last year the railroads moved over 11.5 billion gallons of crude oil (yes, BILLION). Of the 11.5 billion gallons, the railroads spilled 1.15 million gallons⁴, this means that 99.99% of the crude in the US arrived safely and without incident. As well, when the rail industry report spills and incidents, they report if there is ANY leak. When the pipeline industry reports, with few exceptions, they only report on incidents that excess of 5 gallons. Between 2002 and 2012 US railroads spilled a total of 95,000 gallons of crude oil, the pipeline industry in the same time spilled 19.9 million gallons(2). Even if you add 2013 to the mix, railroads spill far less than pipelines in totality, they have fewer incidents and the incidents they have spill less oil.</p>
<p>&nbsp; So while the media focuses on scaring the heck out of you, I am not scared, I am proud to work in the rail industry. I have been a part of an industry that has been a great leader in hiring and promoting veterans, women, minorities and doing their best every day to send their people home safely every single day. The railroad moves America&rsquo;s goods, without it the economy would lose a great part of its competitive advantage; we have the greatest freight rail system in the world! The truth is that you are in greater danger driving your car, 33,561 deaths in 2012⁵, than you are being impacted by crude by rail, and tomorrow&rsquo;s crude oil will be moving safer than todays as this industry is committed to getting better each and every single day. Some of the best and brightest of our country work in this industry and I look forward to the future of the railroad and have full faith and confidence in our operators and would ride on any train on any railroad across this great nation.</p>
<p></p>
<ol>
<li>Cannon, Walter (1932). Wisdom of the Body. United States: W.W. Norton &amp; Company. ISBN 0393002055.</li>
<li>American Association of Railroads - <a href="https://www.aar.org/safety/Pages/default.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.aar.org/safety/Pages/default.aspx</a></li>
<li>2003 TTCI Annual Report - <a href="http://www.aar.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.aar.com/</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/01/20/215143/more-oil-spilled-from-trains-in.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/01/20/215143/more-oil-spilled-from-trains-in.html</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/NHTSA+Data+Confirms+Traffic+Fatalities+Increased+In+2012" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/NHTSA+Data+Confirms+Traffic+Fatalities</a></li>
</ol>
<p>Disclaimer -&nbsp;opinions stated or expressed are my own personal opinions and not&nbsp;reflective or meant&nbsp;imply those thoughs and opinions of my employers&nbsp;or any affiliated&nbsp;associations or companies.&nbsp;</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>STATISTICS OF SERVICE TIME OF ALCO DIESEL LOCOMOTIVEShttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22872?ContentTypeID=0Fri, 07 Feb 2014 17:41:45 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:adb2b5b8-6423-4163-8059-20725240ae3bSanjay J Chandran0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22872?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/22872/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>I would like to know where I could get the statistics of service of diesel Alco Locomotives.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>Doesn't anyone want to run a Rail Division in Texas?http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22756?ContentTypeID=0Fri, 24 May 2013 01:37:18 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:4a2ad7b2-86ed-448a-b277-1b6a5a6c44c9Peter LeCody4http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22756?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/22756/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>The Texas Department of Transportation has re-posted the position of Rail Division Director on their careers website.</p>
<p>You would think this would have attracted a bunch of well qualified people the first time around who want to make their mark in developing a passenger rail network and working to make a giant freight rail system as efficient as possible. The first job posting was only up for a couple of weeks and closed on April 30, but the new posting is open ended so maybe the time frame was way to short to find a qualified candidate.&nbsp;</p>
<p>With a Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study underway, the Dallas-Houston 150mph Core Express project, the DFW-East Texas-Shreveport study and a slew of freight rail projects underway it&#39;s railroading big time in Texas like never before.&nbsp; Throw in the state owned South Orient Railroad and other duties to supervise and this makes it into one of the most prestigious positions you could ask for nowadays. </p>
<p>Here&#39;s a story we posted on Texas Rail Advocates website: http://texasrailadvocates.org/viewIt.asp?ati=3&amp;a=1283</p>
<p>Let&#39;s see what happens the second time around.</p>
<p></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>TxDOT accepting resumes for Rail Division Director position through April 30http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22738?ContentTypeID=0Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:36:44 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:8dfc9f2f-2c29-4035-a092-13d45d01b7f5Peter LeCody1http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22738?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/22738/rss?ContentTypeId=0<div class="news_brief" style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:16px;border-bottom:1px #d2f0fc solid;"><span style="font-size:medium;">April 25, 2013 - As reported first by Texas Rail Advocates, the Director of the Rail Division at the Texas Department of Transportation, Bill Glavin, will be stepping down from his post at the end of June<span style="font-size:medium;">.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:medium;">TxDOT has put out a call for applicants to <span style="font-size:medium;">file for the position. The <span style="font-size:medium;">closing date for applicants to be sub<span style="font-size:medium;">mitted in April 30, according to the TxDOT careers website. </span></span></span></span></span></span><b>http://www.dot.state.tx.us/employment/alljvns/jvn019846.htm?cq-direct=true<br /><br /><br /></b><span style="font-size:medium;">Glavin was the first director app<span style="font-size:medium;">ointed to the Rail Di<span style="font-size:medium;">vision when it was created in 2009. He indicated that he reaches Railroad Retirement age this year. His future plans were not ann<span style="font-size:medium;">ounced. In <span style="font-size:medium;">his time at TxDOT,&nbsp; Glavin has rapidly <span style="font-size:medium;">helped position the Rail Division to be a major <span style="font-size:medium;">player in future <span style="font-size:medium;">state transportation plans. <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:medium;">His position <span style="font-size:medium;">inclu<span style="font-size:medium;">des directing and overs<span style="font-size:medium;">eeing </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-size:medium;">statewide implementation of federal and state funded programs, private/public partnerships for rail projects, and activities for highway/rail grade crossings, management of state owned rail facilities and right of way, and railroad-related joint operations. </span><br /><br /></span></div><div style="clear:both;"></div>TxDOT Rail Division Director Bill Glavin to step downhttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22731?ContentTypeID=0Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:02:10 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:ccb34a0e-00e3-466c-aff7-78896fbbb8f2Peter LeCody0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22731?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/22731/rss?ContentTypeId=0<div style="font-size:22px;font-family:Garamond;font-weight:bold;color:#004c69;">Exclusive to Texas Rail Advocates website&nbsp;</div>
<div style="font-size:22px;font-family:Garamond;font-weight:bold;color:#004c69;"></div>
<div class="news_brief" style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:16px;border-bottom:1px #d2f0fc solid;"><span style="font-size:medium;">April 17, 2013 (Austin) - The Director of the Rail Division at the Texas Department of Transportation, William &quot;Bill&quot; Glavin, has announced he will be stepping down from that post at the end of June.<br /><br /><br />Glavin was the first ever appointed director to the fledgling rail division back in November 2009.</span></div>
<div class="news_brief" style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:16px;border-bottom:1px #d2f0fc solid;"></div>
<div class="news_brief" style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:16px;border-bottom:1px #d2f0fc solid;">More:<br /><span style="font-size:medium;">http://texasrailadvocates.org/viewIt.asp?ati=3&amp;a=1251<br /><br />&quot;Since his appointment, the Rail Division has moved at lightning speed with plans and projects for both freight and passenger rail, compared to the last several decades&quot;, according to Texas Rail Advocates President Peter LeCody.&nbsp; Mr. Glavin has brought a new level of awareness to both our elected officials and the public for the need for improving our rail system in Texas.&quot;<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:medium;">During Mr. Glavin&#39;s <span style="font-size:medium;">time at the helm of the Rail Division<span style="font-size:medium;">, major strides were made in securing federal <span style="font-size:medium;">funding<span style="font-size:medium;"> and advancing plans for a high speed rail project from Houston to Dallas, the Texas-Oklahoma<span style="font-size:medium;"> Passenger Rail Study (TO<span style="font-size:medium;">PRS) which is now in progress, moving the Dallas-Fort Worth to Shreveport passenger rail study forward, working on an initiative to </span></span>untangl<span style="font-size:medium;">e</span> freight rail traffic at the notorious Tower 55 in Fort Worth, securing <span style="font-size:medium;">funding to upgrade</span> the Heartland Flyer&#39;s travel time between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City</span></span></span></span> and <span style="font-size:medium;">other projects.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:medium;">In addition, state funding was secured to upgrade the Texas-owned South Ori<span style="font-size:medium;">ent Railroad between Brownwood and San A<span style="font-size:medium;">ngelo, which has resulted in a economic boom to that region <span style="font-size:medium;">that can</span> no<span style="font-size:medium;">w </span>ship<span style="font-size:medium;"> commodities</span> more effectiv<span style="font-size:medium;">ely </span>by rail. </span></span></span><br /></span></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="news_brief" style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:16px;border-bottom:1px #d2f0fc solid;"><span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-size:medium;">TxDOT has posted a Careers Job Opening listing for the Rail Director position at this link: http://dot.state.tx.us/careers/job_search/openings.htm?type=class&amp;class=All. Scroll down to</span></span>
<table style="width:100%;" border="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="20%" align="right"><b>Requisition #:</b></td>
<td valign="top" width="1%"></td>
<td valign="top" width="74%">019846</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="20%" align="right"><b>Title:</b></td>
<td valign="top" width="1%"></td>
<td valign="top" width="74%"><a target="_blank" href="http://dot.state.tx.us/employment/alljvns/jvn019846.htm">N575 / Director, Rail Division</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="20%" align="right"><b>Occupation:</b></td>
<td valign="top" width="1%"></td>
<td valign="top" width="74%">Plan/Avn/Pub Trans/Legis</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<div class="news_brief" style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:16px;border-bottom:1px #d2f0fc solid;"><span style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="news_brief" style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:16px;border-bottom:1px #d2f0fc solid;"><span style="font-size:medium;">Applications for the position will be accepted by TxDOT until April 30, 2013.<br /></span></div>
<div class="news_brief" style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:16px;border-bottom:1px #d2f0fc solid;"><span style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="news_brief" style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:16px;border-bottom:1px #d2f0fc solid;"><span style="font-size:medium;">Glavin joined the department with more than 30 years experience in the rail industry, including stints with Burlington Northern Railroad, North American RailNet and, most recently, as a consultant with RVBA and Associates.<br /><br /> <br /> Glavin earned his bachelors degree in biology in 1975 from Johns Hopkins University and his bachelors in civil engineering from Michigan State University in 1977. After graduation from MSU, he went to work for Burlington Northern as a corporate management trainee. He rose through the ranks to eventually become system chief engineer and general manager of strategic network design, which was responsible for short- and long-term planning and budgets.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:medium;">His future plans were not yet announced.</span></span></div>
<div class="news_brief" style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:16px;border-bottom:1px #d2f0fc solid;"><span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="clear:both;"></div>Complimentary Webinar Fuel Level Managementhttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22722?ContentTypeID=0Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:25:37 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:c032f97b-6b18-4174-a327-487eed99308aztrrail0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22722?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/22722/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>Complimentary Webinar coming up: Locomotive Fuel Level Management in the Wireless Age Fuel management is a major component to maintaining railroad profitability. <a href="http://www.ztr.com/webinar">www.ztr.com/webinar</a></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>Tresspassershttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22713?ContentTypeID=0Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:51:48 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:ab35cf18-81ee-4918-b2d5-dd5fd9b18249Systemsnut4http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22713?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/22713/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>First of all, you have linked all comments to a social website. Most of us are not allowed to go there at work. We can&#39;t get there, so it is useless.</p>
<p>Second but foremost, all urban railroads should be fenced. The country needs jobs. Put up some fence while labor is cheap. Start at every short cut path first.</p>
<p>Third. 15 years ago when I found a youngster in the weeds because I could hear his Walkman, I knew this was not a good trend. Honestly I cannot stand to wear headphones, but to see them on people everywhere, underline, capitalize <em><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><strong>EVERYWHERE!! just makes me want to scream.&nbsp;...but no one will hear me.</strong></span></em></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>12 public hearings scheduled for TxDOT TX-OK passenger rail studyhttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22712?ContentTypeID=0Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:12:43 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:22c264c8-2ad3-42ff-96c4-bfb5c9c81703Peter LeCody0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22712?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/22712/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-size:small;">M</span>arch 13, 2013 (Austin) - Special to Texas Rail Advocates</span><br /><span style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.texasrailadvocates.org" target="_blank">www.texasrailadvocates.org</a></span></p>
<p>&nbsp; <br /><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;">The Rail Division of the Texas Department of Transportation has scheduled 12 public scoping meetings as it proceeds to work on an Intercity Passenger Rail plan between Oklahoma and South Texas.</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:medium;">The meetings, scheduled for this month and April, will give the public a chance to voice what they would like to see in future passenger rail service. <br /></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:medium;">The list of meeting <span style="font-size:medium;">locations and dates are on a new TxDOT Website: <a href="http://www.TXOKrail.org" target="_blank">www.TXOKrail.org</a>. Under the &quot;More Information&quot; section, choose &quot;Get Involved&quot; for <span style="font-size:medium;">cities where the public forum will occur.</span></span><br /></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;">Mark Werner from the TxDOT Rail Division indicated that &quot;We are excited to invite you to a series of 12 scoping open houses that will be held the last week of March and first week of April for the Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study (TOPRS). As you may know, the study will evaluate a range of passenger rail service options in an 850-mile corridor from Oklahoma city to south Texas</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;"><span style="font-size:medium;">, concluding in a service-level environmental impact statement (EIS).&quot;</span><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;">TXDOT has prepared a flyer that describes the scope of the public meetings. It describes how </span><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;">Texas</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;">&#39; population and economy are booming with much of its growth occurring in the already congested IH-35corridor. <br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;">While the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) continues to look at roadway improvements to keep all of us and our economy moving, other options, such as passenger rail service, fit the needs of many travelers<br />and would reduce demand on the state&#39;s roadways.<br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;">Through the Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study (TOPRS), TxDOT will consider how passenger rail service could fit into this corridor. TOPRS will evaluate a range of passenger rail service options in an 850-mile corridor from </span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;">Oklahoma City to south Texas</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;"> and will conclude with a service-level environmental impact statement (EIS). The study will consider the corridor as a whole, as well as within three segments:<br />. Oklahoma City to Dallas/Fort Worth<br />. Dallas/Fort Worth to San Antonio<br />. San Antonio to Rio Grande Valley / Corpus<br />Christi / Laredo<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;">Because the corridor extends north of the Red River to Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is an important partner in the study. In addition, transit service providers, railroads, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and cities and counties, as well as community members.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;">During scoping, the first step in the EIS process,TxDOT and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will invite the public to provide input about what should<br />be studied in the service-level EIS. During the scoping period, TxDOT will accept public comments in writing, through the TOPRS website, and at public meetings held throughout the corridor. After the public scoping period ends on </span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;">April 26, 2013</span></span><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;">,TxDOT will compile all comments received and determine the scope of the EIS.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;">The Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study (TOPRS) is expected to be completed in 24 months. It will document the costs, benefits, and impacts of rail service alternatives compared to a no-build alternative in a service-level environmental impact statement (EIS). The EIS, a federally required document that complies with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), will provide a high-level review of rail needs and potential service options in the corridor. The study could conclude with a decision to advance individual projects for more detailed study or a decision against making further investments in passenger rail in the corridor.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium;">Before any identified project could be constructed, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) would need to complete additional environmental review and identify funding.<br /></span></span></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>Railway Sales Person Opportunity at IEM Corporationhttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22705?ContentTypeID=0Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:29:08 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:9dd8ccce-ca5b-4bc2-a0cc-042466e2777cInternational Electronic Machines (IEM)0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22705?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/22705/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p>IEM is currently seeking a Railway Sales Person to join our team.&nbsp; All qualified applicants are urged to apply by sending a cover letter and resume to kdeconno@iem.net.</p>
<p>Goal:</p>
<p>Maximize sales volume which can be practically delivered with most profit margin.&nbsp; This is a sales opening (80%) &amp; peripherally marketing/new business development (15%).&nbsp; Potential to grow as a leader of sales department</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>1.) Domestic relationships with US freight &amp; transit railways</p>
<p>10+ years of successful sales experience with US Class I &amp; II RR</p>
<p>Has sold preferably cumulative $50 million or more in those ten years</p>
<p>Working relationships within mechanical department, advanced engineering, signaling, etc. selling wayside equipment</p>
<p>Cultivates new/working relationships</p>
<p>Contact types: senior engineers, manager, director &amp; AVP level, purchasing contacts can be useful</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>2.) Large bid prep experience</p>
<p>Capable of developing bid specs for prospective customer RFP</p>
<p>5+ years of experience in preparing large bids</p>
<p>Knows the bidding processes used by the railways</p>
<p>Can complete all documents &amp; submit bids</p>
<p>In depth knowledge of bid pricing in competitive situations</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>3.) Lead generation experience</p>
<p>Network in US &amp; International rail industry</p>
<p>Work with other lead generation mechanisms</p>
<p>Make &ldquo;cold calls&rdquo; where necessary</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>4.) Leading the US customers direct sale effort</p>
<p>Working with US customers to generate new business in the area of wayside systems using machine vision, instrumentation &amp; sensors (IEM&rsquo;s core competencies)</p>
<p>Work with companies to include IEM in future budgets</p>
<p>Closing US sales</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>5.) Technology Background</p>
<p>At least 2 year associate degree in electronics (mechanical will not work) technology with additional business background.&nbsp; Full understanding of technical products to demand respect in front of the customer &amp; sell products as a first line sales liaison without a full technical team behind you</p>
<p>Understand basic technology behind machine vision systems &amp; instrumentation as they apply to railways</p>
<p>Understand railway operations, economics and products</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>6.) Sales &amp; Marketing process orientation</p>
<p>Develop an annual sales plan &amp; revenue target: discuss &amp; gain management approval.&nbsp; Keep management informed as to any significant changes.</p>
<p>Develop &amp; maintain a sales forecast.&nbsp; Note important items that require added effort or may become deal breakers</p>
<p>Demonstrate emphasis on meeting revenue targets</p>
<p>Well organized to keep track of leads, follow up calls &amp; selling process (use Prophet/CRM regularly)</p>
<p>Meets deadlines</p>
<p>Understand performance metrics, dashboard &amp; keep up-to-date</p>
<p>Excellent oral &amp; written communicator</p>
<p>Able to work with other departments within IEM:</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Coordinate pre-sale process (get technical info)</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Coordinate activities during bidding (establish pricing</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Coordinate post-sale process (accounting)</p>
<p>Recover from rejection, effectively present point of view &amp; LISTEN</p>
<p>Keep current on competitive companies: products, strengths, weaknesses, sales &amp;marketing</p>
<p>Maintain awareness of industry trends.&nbsp; Keep management &amp; engineering informed</p>
<p>Attend industry meetings &amp; conferences.&nbsp; Make new contacts &amp; gain additional info on applications, technologies, competitors</p>
<p>Understand wayside system market &ndash; machine vision systems &amp;other measurement systems</p>
<p>Analyze lost sales and/or opportunities in writing.&nbsp; Suggest alternative methods to overcome future loss</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>7.) Travel</p>
<p>Willing to travel</p>
<p>No international travel restrictions</p>
<p>Up to 40% at times, 25% on average</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>8.) Education/Training</p>
<p>Formal training in selling: Dale Carnegie Sales, etc.</p>
<p>Excellent computer skills: MS-Office Suite, Prophet, etc.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>9.) Prior selling</p>
<p>Has sold railway wayside products to railways, preferably railway measurement, instrumentation &amp; machine vision systems</p>
<p>Geographic territory: US &amp; International</p>
<p>Direct inside selling, demos, selling through reps, bidding, closing &amp; post sales</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>10.) Compensation</p>
<p>Competitive base + commission</p>
<p>Commission structure:&nbsp; Minimum sales at no commission, base commission range, high performer premium commission rate</p>
<p>MUST RELOCATE to Capital District (Albany, NY) area.&nbsp; Relocation will not be reimbursed</p>
<p></p>
<div id="__tbSetup"></div><div style="clear:both;"></div>Shale oil traffichttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22704?ContentTypeID=0Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:39:38 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:b60163b4-3d5d-417c-a5c3-a6ff0a55db24HarveyK4000http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22704?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/22704/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p></p>
<p>With respect to this week&#39;s question regarding shale oil traffic, I came across this Energy Policy Forum (by?) Deborah Rogers; &quot;Shale and Wall Street&quot;</p>
<p><strong>Executive summary</strong><br />In 2011, shale mergers and acquisitions (M&amp;A) accounted for $46.5B in deals and became one of the largest profit centers for some Wall Street investment banks. This anomaly bears scrutiny since shale wells were considerably underperforming in dollar terms during this time. Analysts and investment bankers, nevertheless, emerged as some of the most vocal proponents of shale exploitation. By ensuring that production continued at a frenzied pace, in spite of poor well performance (in dollar terms), a glut in the market for natural gas resulted and prices were driven to new lows. In 2011, U.S. demand for natural gas was exceeded by supply by a factor of four.</p>
<p>It is highly unlikely that market-savvy bankers did not recognize that by overproducing natural gas a glut would occur with a concomitant severe price decline. This price decline, however, opened the door for significant transactional deals worth billions of dollars and thereby secured further large fees for the investment banks involved. In fact, shales became one of the largest profit centers within these banks in their energy M&amp;A portfolios since 2010. The recent natural gas market glut was largely effected through overproduction of natural gas in order to meet financial analyst&rsquo;s production targets and to provide cash flow to support operators&rsquo; imprudent leverage positions.</p>
<p>As prices plunged, Wall Street began executing deals to spin assets of troubled shale companies off to larger players in the industry. Such deals deteriorated only months later, resulting in massive write-downs in shale assets. In addition, the banks were instrumental in crafting convoluted financial products such as VPP&#39;s (volumetric production payments); and despite of the obvious lack of sophisticated knowledge by many of these investors about the intricacies and risks of shale production, these products were subsequently sold to investors such as pension funds. Further, leases were bundled and flipped on unproved shale fields in much the same way as mortgage-backed securities had been bundled and sold on questionable underlying mortgage assets prior to the economic downturn of 2007.</p>
<p>As documented in this report, emerging independent information on shale plays in the U.S. confirms the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Wall Street promoted the shale gas drilling frenzy, which resulted in prices lower than the cost of production and thereby profited [enormously] from mergers &amp; acquisitions and other transactional fees.</li>
<li>U.S. shale gas and shale oil reserves have been overestimated by a minimum of 100% and by as much as 400-500% by operators according to actual well production data filed in various states.</li>
<li>Shale oil wells are following the same steep decline rates and poor recovery efficiency observed in shale gas wells.</li>
</ul><div style="clear:both;"></div>Webinar: Improve Locomotive Starting Reliability and Reduce Costs with Super Capacitor Technologyhttp://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22681?ContentTypeID=0Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:07:55 GMT65eb6df9-b31b-4880-9fe1-b738a4a35e40:ef8d795e-c438-46cc-ae47-66439762d8cdztrrail0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/thread/22681?ContentTypeID=0http://myprogressiverailroading.com/rail_forum/general/f/395/t/22681/rss?ContentTypeId=0<p><span style="font-family:&#39;Times New Roman&#39;,&#39;serif&#39;;font-size:12pt;"></span></p>
<h2 style="margin-left:22.5pt;"><span>Improve Locomotive Starting Reliability and Reduce Costs with Super Capacitor Technology</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-family:&#39;Times New Roman&#39;,&#39;serif&#39;;font-size:12pt;">This complimentary&nbsp;webinar is Tuesday, January 22.&nbsp; Learn how super capacitor technology can extend the life of batteries, improve starting reliability, and save money.&nbsp; Click here to register: </span><span style="font-family:&#39;Times New Roman&#39;,&#39;serif&#39;;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-family:&#39;Calibri&#39;,&#39;sans-serif&#39;;font-size:11pt;" lang="EN-CA"><a href="http://www.ztr.com/webinars/kickstart/">http://www.ztr.com/webinars/kickstart/</a> </span></span></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>